Thursday, October 1, 2026
The Suffolk County Legislature just passed a law calling for a referendum in November to change legislators’ two-year terms to four years.
The measure should be defeated.
First off, we understand legislators’ frustration with the new law, passed by the state, that shifts local elections to even years to coincide with gubernatorial and presidential elections. This was a horrible idea that was prompted by pure politics on behalf of Democrats throughout the state. They know that Democratic turnout is much higher in even years, so they decided to schedule almost all of our future elections in even years.
The problem with this is that important local issues and candidates will be drowned out by all the attention focused on the presidential and state elections.
The shift from odd to even years forces town supervisors and legislators who would otherwise run for re-election in 2027 to run in 2026, and then again in 2028. That’s on top of their elections this year. Having three elections in four years is indeed grueling and very unfair. So legislators, Democratic and Republican alike, came up with the clever idea of lengthening their terms from two to four years. That would allow them to bypass the 2026 election that was forced on them.
We understand their frustration, but the answer is not to make the legislative body less representative of the public.
It has usually been the case that executives get four-year terms. That’s because an executive must bring in an entire administration. It’s hard to recruit department heads and impressive talent if they know they may be gone in two years.
As well, political transitions take a great deal of time, and there are learning curves involved. Switching administrations every two years can make managing a nightmare.
But with legislators and Congress, it’s always been the rule that the two-year term keeps them closer to the people. We want legislators to fear backlash from the public if they ignore the public will.
Say no to the four-year term!
Hey, members of Congress, thanks for the deduction for state and local taxes, but what about our capital gains exclusion when we sell our homes?
So much political capital was spent on upping the SALT cap that another loophole that is hurting many middle- and upper-middle class homeowners is still on the books. I’m referring to that $500,000 capital gains exemption when you sell your home. Years ago, Congress implemented a law that would shield single owners of homes from paying any capital gains taxes on the first $250,000 from the sale of their primary residence. That amount was doubled to $500,000 for a couple who owned a house.
But this was passed decades ago, when home prices were lower. Inflation has raised the cost of the average house in Suffolk County to over $700,000, and over $850,000 in Nassau. That means that 46 percent of New Yorkers will be hit with a capital gains tax when they sell their homes.
Since the large majority of Long Islanders take the standard deduction rather than itemizing, raising the SALT deduction from $10,000 to $40,000 doesn’t impact all that many of us. Adjusting the capital gains exclusion with the sale of a home, however, would save families tens of thousands of dollars down the road.
Steve Levy is president of Common Sense Strategies, a political consulting firm. He has served as Suffolk County executive, as an assemblyman and as host of “The Steve Levy Radio Show,” and can be reached at steve@commonsensestrategies.com.
